How many hours should the average person sleep per night?

Eight hours of sleep is a good baseline for most adults. Since sleep is a time for the body to recover and grow, children and adolescents need more sleep. The average teen needs nine or more hours of sleep each night. But that can be tricky for teens because their natural body rhythms at that age make them want to stay up late and sleep in late. They can’t help it. Sticking to a regular sleep schedule can help.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea is when partly or fully blocked airways cause you to stop breathing for a few seconds to a few minutes during sleep. It’s usually a partner who notices the symptoms, which include snoring or choking or gasping for breath during sleep. Another clue can be feeling tired or falling asleep during the day. Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure, heart enlargement, abnormal heart rhythms, poor memory or concentration, irritability and depression.

A sleep study can diagnose sleep apnea, but treatment depends on the cause and severity. For example, if you are overweight and have a mild case of sleep apnea, losing weight and sleeping on your side can be enough. In moderate to severe cases, a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) mask might be needed to force air into your nose and mouth so you don’t stop breathing. In rare cases, surgery might be needed.

What causes snoring and what can I do about it?

What causes snoring and what can I do about it?

Snoring happens because when you breathe, the soft tissues of your neck can relax while you're sleeping and when they relax, they can narrow your breathing passage or your airway. When it gets narrowed and then you try to draw in air, as you draw in air, it makes the tissue vibrate and then gives you kind of a vibratory noise and that noise is the snoring. Anything that narrows the breathing passage is going to cause you to snore, so people that have big tonsils, or people that maybe have a deviated septum or if you have chronic sinus problems and you have a lot of nasal congestion, which can cause it. If you're obese and you have fatty tissue in the neck, that can block the air passage. They also say that drinking alcohol can relax the throat muscles and that can even close up, so those are some of the different things that can cause you to snore. If you are obese, we would have you lose weight and avoid alcohol. If a person is having a nasal congestion, a lot of the times they have those little nasal strips that you can put on that are adhesive strips that actually kind of open up the nose and improve your ability to breathe. Those are just some of the different things, but since we said that it has to do with the air passage getting blocked, if we can just get the person not to sleep on their back, because their tongue relaxes when you go to sleep and so if you sleep on your side, then you are less likely to snore.

Snoring is the noise that’s made when air causes the soft tissues in your neck to vibrate. Anything that narrows your breathing passages can cause snoring. Large tonsils or a deviated septum can cause it. So can nasal congestion, being overweight or drinking alcohol.

The answer to snoring depends on the cause:

If you’re congested, try nasal strips to help keep your nose open.

If you’re overweight, losing weight may help.

Avoid alcohol because it can relax or close your throat muscles.

Sleep on your side to help keep your tongue from relaxing into your airway.

Why is sleep important for teenagers?

Dr. Barrow discusses why sleep is important for teenagers. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

Why is sleep important for teenagers?

The teenager who doesn't get enough sleep, there's lots of downstream consequences for that. Some of that is something they see right away. Some of it is something that may show up later especially if they're chronically sleep deprived. It would be things like impairment in concentration, in learning. Moods are changed. They can be irritable and grumpy even maybe more so than normally would have with adolescents. You see more auto accidents, work related injuries, those type of things when they're not getting enough sleep. They want to make sure they get plenty of sleep because it'll affect other aspects of their life.

Signs that a parent can watch for to help determine if their child is not getting enough sleep are similar to a lot of the signs that adolescents exhibit anyhow so sometimes can be hard to sort out. What is normal teenager behavior and what is sleep deprivation? Things such as being irritable and grumpy all the time, changing grades especially if grades are going down, the kids are not focused, if they're falling asleep at family events, or you notice that every time they get in the car if they're the passenger they're dosing off or worse yet that they're having trouble staying awake when they're driving. Those are signs that they can recognize it.

How much sleep should a teenager get?

Dr. Barrow discusses the amount of sleep a teenager should get. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

How much sleep should a teenager get?

Sleep is important for teenagers, as well as anybody else for that matter, that it helps them with their brain function because sleep is really brain food. Your brain needs that food in order to be able to function well. It will affect every other aspect of their life if they're not getting enough sleep.

Teenagers run the risk of being sleep deprived multiple ways. I think social media is probably one of the ones that gets the most attention and well deservedly so because it is one of the common reasons for that.

It's not just social media. Part of it is their need to be connected at all times to their cell phones or their iPads or whatever it is that they got. They feel that they need to respond to everything right away which is different than the way that previous generations were raised. They feel like they need to keep that with them and be in touch all the time. There's a syndrome known as Fear of Missing Out, FOMO, where they don't want to be left out on anything. The phone is one of the best ways for them to keep in the loop if you will, so they're not left out.

It is recommended that teenagers – ages 14 through 17 – get between eight and 10 hours of sleep each night, according to the NSF. For some teens, it might also be appropriate to get as little as seven hours and at much as 11 hours of sleep.

The NSF does not recommend anything outside these sleep ranges because it starts into unhealthy levels of too little or too much sleep.

For more information about how much sleep teenagers should get, talk with your doctor.

What are the health consequences to teens who do not get enough sleep?

Dr. Barrow discusses the health consequences of teenagers not getting enough sleep. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

How much sleep should a teenager get?

The teenager who doesn't get enough sleep, there's lots of downstream consequences for that. Some of that is something they see right away. Some of it is something that may show up later especially if they're chronically sleep deprived. It would be things like impairment in concentration, in learning. Moods are changed. They can be irritable and grumpy even maybe more so than normally would have with adolescents. You see more auto accidents, work related injuries, those type of things when they're not getting enough sleep. They want to make sure they get plenty of sleep because it'll affect other aspects of their life.

Signs that a parent can watch for to help determine if their child is not getting enough sleep are similar to a lot of the signs that adolescents exhibit anyhow so sometimes can be hard to sort out. What is normal teenager behavior and what is sleep deprivation? Things such as being irritable and grumpy all the time, changing grades especially if grades are going down, the kids are not focused, if they're falling asleep at family events, or you notice that every time they get in the car if they're the passenger they're dosing off or worse yet that they're having trouble staying awake when they're driving. Those are signs that they can recognize it.

Not getting enough sleep can cause teens more issues than just feeling a little groggy.

Snoring is a major sign of sleep apnea. The difference is, with sleep apnea, the snoring is accompanied by pauses that are followed by choking or gasping, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Many times, people don’t know they are snoring or gasping in the midst of snoring, but rather, a family member points it out to them.

Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea. If you think you might have sleep apnea, talk with your doctor. A sleep study might need to be done to determine if you have sleep apnea and how severe it is.

How does drinking coffee affect sleep?

You may know that caffeine stimulates your brain. But did you know its effects can last long after your energy boost wears off? That’s because it takes your body three to seven hours to metabolize a half serving of caffeine. So if you rely on coffee, tea or soda to get through the afternoon, you could pay the price at night. You may have trouble falling or staying asleep. And, once you do sleep, the caffeine can disrupt your sleep patterns, keeping you from getting the restful, restorative deep REM sleep.

Can people sleep too much? If so, what are the negative effects of too much sleep?

It is possible to get too much sleep. In fact, if you sleep more than seven or eight hours a night and still feel tired the next day, it could be a sign of an underlying health problem. You should see your doctor to make sure you don’t have anemia (too few red blood cells) or a thyroid problem. These often make people feel very tired.

Some studies have linked sleeping too much with higher risks of diabetes, obesity, headaches, depression, back pain and heart disease. So if you’re worried about sleeping too much, you shouldn’t ignore it. And, if you think a sleep disorder could be to blame for your drowsiness, keep a sleep journal and go over it with your doctor. Jot down what time you went to bed, about what time you fell asleep and woke up, how well you think you slept, how you felt when you woke up and how you felt through the day.

What are some of the sleep issues that keep someone from getting adequate sleep?

For most people who are not getting enough sleep, it’s not a choice, but rather other factors that cause sleep issues. Knowing these issues can help you work toward a better night’s sleep.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sleep issues that can keep you from getting enough sleep include:

Stimulants – Drinking that extra cup of coffee after dinner might have been just enough caffeine to keep you from sleeping well. Certain pain relievers and decongestants, nicotine, soda and tea, and even chocolate all can be culprits preventing you from falling asleep.

Pain – Conditions including arthritis, congestive heart failure and sickle cell anemia can be painful and uncomfortable, making it difficult to fall asleep.

Breathing problems – Having chronic asthma or bronchitis can not only keep you awake, but also can increase the number times you wake up during the night. Snoring and sleep apnea – when you stop breathing for periods of time during sleep – can also destroy your best efforts to get a good night’s sleep.

Menstrual cycle hormones – Women experience lower levels of progesterone during part of their menstrual cycle, which can cause them to have trouble sleeping.

Lifestyle choices – Eating large meals, exercising, watching TV or using other electronics with bright screens right before trying to sleep are all activities that can keep you from falling asleep easily and sleeping through the night.

Though some of these issues cannot be changed – such as menstrual cycle hormones for women – others can be easily modified. Cutting down on caffeine, talking with your doctor about pain and medications you take for pain, planning your exercise at a different time of day and unplugging from electronics earlier are all good ways to help improve you sleep, according to the NIH.

What are the side effects of sleep deprivation?

Sleep deficiency can cause problems with a person’s mental health, physical health, quality of life and safety, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The main side effect of sleep deprivation is excessive daytime sleepiness, which can lead to safety hazards because it causes drowsy driving and workplace injuries, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

Some side effects of lack of sleep, according to the AASM, include:

Irritability

Lack of motivation

Lack of concentration

Anxiety

Fatigue

Restlessness

Lack of coordination

Increased errors

Forgetfulness

High blood pressure

Obesity

Diabetes

Lack of energy

For more information about the side effects that can be caused by sleep deprivation, talk to your physician.

What is narcolepsy?

What is narcolepsy?

Narcolepsy is a serious type of sleep disorder that essentially involves drowsiness, daytime drowsiness, which is really profound for them and it gets to the point where they just have what are called sleep attacks and they will just fall asleep. The sleep attack can last for a period of 10 to 15 minutes and then they just wake up. When they wake up, they actually feel refreshed, but the periods can occur any time throughout the day. Now, that's what is different than sleep apnea, because in sleep apnea, when you have that, you wake and you don’t feel refreshed, but narcolepsy, they fall asleep and it's true sleep. I mean, they will actually wake up and feel refreshed, but they can't control it.

Narcolepsy is a rare but serious sleeping disorder that causes people to fall asleep during the day. These “sleep attacks” can happen just about anytime and anywhere, and usually last about 10 or 15 minutes. They can happen several times a day. The person is genuinely sleeping during that time and wakes up feeling refreshed.

Less than one percent of the population has narcolepsy. The cause is not known, but it might be genetic. Although the symptoms can be scary, narcolepsy can be treated with medicine, lifestyle changes and a regular sleep and nap schedule.

Symptoms of narcolepsy:

Extreme sleepiness

Sudden loss of muscle control (head nods or body goes limp, called cataplexy)

Hallucinations upon sleeping or waking

Not being able to talk or move when falling asleep or waking (sleep paralysis)

If you have sleep attacks or other signs above, see your doctor. He or she may suggest you get a sleep study to find out if you have narcolepsy or another sleep disorder.

What is REM sleep and how is it helpful?

REM or rapid eye movement is a deep sleep, where your body gets some of the most restful sleep. This is the stage where you dream, have more brain activity and move around less. Although your brain is active, it’s very relaxing and restorative sleep.

It takes time to reach the REM stage, so if your sleep is often interrupted during the night, you could be missing out on some important REM sleep. Throughout the night, you cycle through several sleep stages. Stages one and two are light sleep, stages three and four are deeper, REM is deepest. During the night, you move back and forth between the sleep stages and each time you reach REM it lasts a little longer.

What causes insomnia?

Insomnia is when you have trouble falling or staying asleep. It can happen to everyone once in a while, but if you often have trouble sleeping or waking too early, or if it goes on for weeks, you should talk to your doctor.

Many things can cause you to sleep poorly: pain, depression, medication or sleep disorders. But the most common cause of insomnia is poor sleep habits (called sleep hygiene). Lifestyle factors like drinking too much caffeine or alcohol, keeping an erratic sleep schedule, reading or watching TV in bed can all cost you important rest.

Tips for a good night’s sleep:

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.

Get some sunlight and exercise each day (but don’t exercise within two hoursof bedtime).

Avoid alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants, including nicotine.

Avoid eating heavy meals at night, especially near bedtime.

Wind down with a relaxing bedtime routine. Take a warm bath, meditate, do yoga or breathe deeply.

Make sure your room is dark and comfortable.

Help your body associate bed with sleeping by not reading or watching TV in bed.

Ask your doctor about any prescription or over-the-counter drugs you’re taking. Many medications for colds, allergies, depression and anxiety can disrupt your sleep.

If these tips don’t help, your doctor may want to run a blood test to see if you could have a thyroid problem, anemia (low red blood cell count) or another health problem.

How does insomnia affect a person’s health?

Dr. Lauricella discusses how insomnia affects a person’s health. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

How does insomnia affect a person’s health?

Insomnia can affect a person’s health in a number of different ways. Sleep is actually complicated. It’s much more than a dormant state we go through every night. There are different stages of sleep and each one of these stages is important for the good, feeling-refreshed you get in the morning. When we are not getting enough sleep we will usually wake up feeling irritable. Our blood pressure will be higher. There are certain hormones like cortisol and what not that can be much higher that will increase our appetite for foods that maybe aren’t the best choice. It also increases our general feeling of irritability and anxiety and these things can start leading to behavior patterns like alcohol consumption and discord in marriages that aren’t good for us as human beings. Sleep can dramatically affect all aspects of health. Insomnia being the lack of or inability to get good sleep starts to echo through all aspects of your life. You wake up and you feel lousy. You start having anxiety about going to bed. These people are usually not motivated to engage in much more than the bare minimum in their life. They start withdrawing from aspects of their marriage, they aren’t exercising regularly, their blood pressure goes up, their diet generally deteriorates and all these things then echo through their cholesterol and diabetes control and all other aspects of their life. Addressing sleep can very often improve all aspects of their overall health.

Insomnia is having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Though events throughout people’s lives can cause temporary insomnia, chronic insomnia – which lasts at least three nights per week for more than a month – can lead to other health problems.

Living with insomnia can be frustrating if you are lying awake watching the clock, hoping to fall asleep, but it also can be bad for your health. Getting little sleep because of the condition can cause you to be drowsy, according to the NIH, which can lead to a lack of focus, causing a higher risk of falling and of car crashes.

A University of Wisconsin Health Services department published information about a study that showed other health problems that could be caused by insomnia. These health problems include that people with insomnia:

Are five times more likely to experience anxiety and depression

Have a two times higher risk of congestive heart failure and diabetes

Are seven times more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs

Talk with your doctor for more information about how insomnia can affect your health.

What are some key things people should do to get a good night’s sleep?

How you spend your day can affect how you’ll spend your night — sleeping well or watching the hours tick by. You can control many of the habits that will help you sleep well at night, starting when the sun comes up.

Tips for a good night’s sleep:

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.

Get some sunlight and exercise each day (but don’t exercise within two hoursof bedtime).

Avoid alcohol, caffeine and other stimulants, including nicotine.

Avoid eating heavy meals at night, especially near bedtime.

Wind down with a relaxing bedtime routine. Take a warm bath, meditate, do yoga or breathe deeply.

Make sure your room is dark and comfortable.

Help your body associate bed with sleeping by not reading or watching TV in bed.

Ask your doctor about any prescription or over-the-counter drugs you’re taking. Many medications for colds, allergies, depression and anxiety can disrupt your sleep.

If these tips don’t help, your doctor may want to run a blood test to see if you could have a thyroid problem, anemia (low red blood cell count) or another health problem.

What role does environment play in a person’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep?

Dr. Amin discusses how environment affects falling asleep and staying asleep. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

What role does environment play in a person’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep?

Your bedroom environment plays a major role in your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Your bedroom should be cool, should be clean, dark and quiet.

The main reason that you need to stop screen time 30 minutes before going to bed is that your brain needs to relax. You need to give it some time to wind down. So, you need to start dimming the lights, you need to turn off your TV, you know, turn off your phone, so that that bright light or any sound coming from those devices doesn’t cause your brain to be stimulated.

Having the right sleep environment can be crucial to getting a good night sleep.

Your sleep environment affects your senses, and your senses need to be able to rest and relax for you to truly sleep well, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Light, noise and temperature are among the factors in your sleep environment – usually a bedroom – that affect your quality and quantity of sleep, according to the Harvard Medical School (HSM).

Not only getting to sleep, but staying asleep is important to allow your body to go through the needed sleep cycles to be well-rested, according to the HSM. Getting rid of the environmental distractions and stress that can keep you from sleeping well will help you to develop a positive sleep pattern.

For more information about how your environment can affect your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, talk with your doctor.

What are some environmental changes a person can make to help them fall asleep?

Dr. Amin discusses what environmental changes can help someone fall asleep. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

What are some environmental changes a person can make to help them fall asleep?

If it’s not the right temperature then you will have difficulty falling asleep. If it’s too cold, obviously you’re going to shiver, if it’s too hot, then you’re going to sweat and you’re going to be very uncomfortable. If there’s too much light in the room, that’s a stimulant to your brain and you’re not going to be able to fall asleep. So you need to turn things off.

Well, other things you can do, to help you relax are, following, simple relaxation techniques that you can find in a yoga book or in a yoga video online. Another thing you can do is certain scents can help you fall asleep better, such as lavender.

What they refer to as white noise. Some people need that background noise so that it, everything else is cancelled out. Such as slamming the door or sirens from the outside. So that TV noise can cancel those big sounds out and they are able to fall asleep faster [for some].

Making some small changes to your sleep environment can help you fall asleep and stay asleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

The following are among environmental factors the NSF states that you can change to positively affect your sleep:

Change your sheets often for a fresh feel and smell

Commit to having a comfortable mattress and replacing it about every eight years

Find a temperature that makes sleep comfortable for you – experts recommend a cool 65 as the best temperature for sleep

If you listen to TV noise or white noise to fall asleep, make sure to keep the volume low

Keep your bedroom dark because lightness signals that your body needs to be alert and darkness makes it more likely to welcome sleep

Minimize electronics that give off light in your bedroom

Outdoor noise pollution should be kept to a minimum by using a white noise machine, fan or even ear plugs

Overall, creating a peaceful, comfortable sleeping environment is the best thing you can do for a good night’s sleep.

For more information about factors that affect your sleep environment, talk with your doctor.

How can exercise and good sleep work together to create better health?

Dr. Lauricella discusses how exercise and good sleep together promote good health. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

How can exercise and good sleep work together to create better health?

Exercise and sleep together are the bedrock of good health in some ways because one of the first things I recommend to somebody who is dissatisfied with their quality of sleep is I ask them, ‘Hey are you getting enough exercise, are you getting enough exercise every day? Are you getting a minimum of 45 minutes of aerobic exercise?’ I don’t have too many people who say yes to all these questions actually having difficulty sleeping. I have a teenage boy. He’s a swimmer. It’s wonderful because he’s too tired to get in trouble and he goes to sleep like a rock about anywhere he can. It really is important and it’s one of the first steps you can do on your own without coming to the doctor’s office without paying me co-pay, just go out and really get a good workout and I do mean 45 minutes. You will be amazed at how much better you sleep that night.

Looking at the bigger picture rather than one piece at a time is the best way to care for your overall health. Good sleep is just one piece of the puzzle of your overall health. Along with exercise and good nutrition, good sleep is important for a healthy lifestyle, according to The National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Exercising right before trying to sleep can hurt your efforts at getting a good sleep because your body won’t cool down enough for comfortable sleep, according to the NSF. However, exercising at least three hours before bedtime – in the late afternoon, for example – gives your body time to cool down. Working out at the right time can make you more alert during waking hours, speed up your metabolism and energize you for your next day.

Along the same lines, not getting enough sleep can defeat your best efforts at exercising for weight loss. Studies how shown that people who are not getting a good night’s sleep have a higher risk of obesity because they have a lower level of the hormone leptin, which causes a bigger appetite, according to the NSF.

For more information about how exercise and good sleep are both important to your health, talk with your doctor.

How can sleep affect someone’s desire or ability to exercise?

Dr. Lauricella discusses how sleep can affect your desire and ability to exercise. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

How can sleep affect someone’s desire or ability to exercise?

Sleep and how it affects one’s desire to exercise is kind of the tip of the iceberg because if we’re not getting effective sleep . . . a good sleep . . . . then it affects all aspects of our life. Sleep is as fundamental as breathing or eating is to our health. And if you’re not getting good sleep you’re going to wake up in the morning feeling draggy, unmotivated and feeling like there are a lot of limits on what you can do cognitively you’re not going to be as sharp as you’d like and certainly if you feel this way the desire to go out and exercise in addition to work is going to be pretty limited and your motivation to push through discomfort that you need to really get effective exercise is going to be greatly diminished so sleep affects all aspects of our health, all aspects of our fitness. To make it even worse, generally when we’re tired and not getting enough sleep, our desire for all the foods that aren’t good for us is much higher. We like the rush of the comfort food, sugar rush and what not. Sleep is really important to your overall health.

When you get a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling well-rested, you are more likely to feel ready to face the day and to tackle tasks at hand, which should include exercise and eating a nutritious diet.

Losing sleep at night causes daytime sleepiness, which lowers energy levels and can make it hard to commit to an exercise routine, according to The National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Even if you do find the energy to choose to exercise, it can be difficult be able to exercise at your greatest potential, according to the National Institutes of Health. And, if you do exercise at your regular pace, a workout that would normally leave you feeling refreshed and alert can instead leave you feeling burned out.

Talk to your doctor for more information about how sleep can affect your desire and ability to exercise.

What is shift work sleep disorder?

Shift work sleep disorder is a chronic condition that is caused by a person’s work schedule, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

The condition causes a misalignment of sleep patterns, according to the NSF, which makes it difficult to sleep when you need to, when you want to, or when you are expected to.

Shift work sleep disorder can be caused by night shifts, rotating shifts, or early morning shifts, all of which can lead to chronic sleep deprivation if the condition is not managed, according to the NSF.

For more information about shift work sleep disorder, talk with your doctor.

Though most people who do shift work experience at least some of these symptoms, shift work sleep disorder is an ongoing issue, in which the symptoms start to cause problems with your work and family life, according to the NSF.

Talk to your doctor for more information about symptoms of shift work sleep disorder.

What role does sleep play in preventive healthcare?

Dr. Lauricella discusses the role sleep plays in preventive healthcare. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

What role does sleep play in preventive healthcare?

That’s a good question. How often do I bring up sleep or how often do I ask about sleep when I’m pulling for general health? I try to get to it in every preventative health visit, every six-month or once a year visit with my patients. I’ll usually try to approach it a couple different times just to ask are they going to bed, are they satisfied with sleep and when are they waking up. The other thing I’m looking for is not just the patient who’s having trouble sleeping, the patient with insomnia but also people who are chronically shortening their sleep cycle who are setting their alarm too early and going to bed too late. This can lead to a nice conversation about the importance of sleep and the steps they can take on their own to get a good night’s sleep: not leaving the TV on; not looking at bright screens such as IPads and IPhone right before bed; how much caffeine are they getting . . . because all these small things can lead to deteriorated sleep or changes in sleep architecture that is really limited their ability to get a good night’s sleep.

Many doctors are now adding discussions about good sleep hygiene into their conversations during patients’ medical visits. Alongside healthy weight and good eating habits, having a good sleep routine is a preventive measure you can take to work toward good overall health.

When checking in with you, your physician might ask about your bedtime and waking time, as well as how well-rested you feel when you wake up, according to the Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine (HMS).

Having good sleep hygiene is imperative to a healthy lifestyle. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can lead to hypertension, weight gain, risk of depression and more, according to The National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Making some small lifestyle adjustments often will get you back on track with good sleep habits and prevent sleep disorders and other health issues. According to NSF, some ways to improve sleep include:

Avoid napping

Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol close to bedtime

Create a bedtime routine of quiet, non-electronic activities before bedtime

Don’t eat close to the time you usually go to sleep

Exercise, but at least three hours before bedtime

Get exposed to natural light during the day

Review your sleep environment

For more information about the role of sleep in preventive healthcare, talk with your doctor.

Having alcohol in your system disturbs your later sleep stages during the night, according to ADCAPS. These stages should be deeper and restorative to your body and mind. Without those stages, you can be left groggy and unrested in the morning.

To learn more about how drinking alcohol can keep you from getting a good night’s sleep, talk with your physician

What is sleepwalking?

Sleepwalking is a disorder that causes you to get up and walk around or do other kinds of activities while you are still sleeping, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

During the course of a night, you experience various stages of sleep, including light sleep and deep sleep, according to the NIH. Sleepwalking usually happens during deep sleep in the early part of the night.

In kids, the reasons for sleepwalking are unknown, though it typically is thought to be caused by anxiety, lack of sleep and fatigue, according to the NIH. It most often occurs in children ages 5 to 12.

What is sleep talking?

Sleep talking is a common disorder that can happen at any stage of sleeping. The person sleep talking usually doesn’t know about the problem, but their loud, frequent talking can bother the person they share a bed with, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).

Sleep talking is fairly common in children with about half of young children sleep talking and only about 5 percent of adults who sleep talk, according to the ASSM.

What are night terrors?

Night terrors are a kind of scary dream common in children, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). These dreams happen during deep sleep, usually between about 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

When children have night terrors, they typically wake up screaming, according to the AAFP. Other signs could include sweating, heavy and fast breathing, and the child’s pupils – the black in the middle of the eyes – sometimes look larger than normal.

The child can still be asleep, having the night terror even if his or her eyes are open. It might be difficult to wake the child, and he or she might be confused or not answer when asked about what’s wrong, according to the AAFP.

Night terrors can last as long as 10 to 20 minutes, and children with night terrors usually don’t remember that they happened, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

What is restless legs syndrome?

Dr. Amin discusses restless legs syndrome. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript.

What is restless legs syndrome?

Restless leg syndrome is a neurological condition that is characterized by a pulling sensation or creeping sensation that occurs in your legs.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes the strong – often strange and unpleasant – feeling of needing to move your legs, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). RLS can make the urge to move your legs feel overwhelming.

People with RLS, according to the NIH, have described the feeling as:

Aching

Burning

Crawling

Creeping

Electric shocks

Itching

Pulling

Tingling

The unpleasant feeling will only go away for people once they move their legs around, which is a problem because it happens when people are resting and inactive, such as in the evening and at night, according to the NIH. RLS can make it difficult for people to fall asleep, which can lead to depression, mood swings and other health problems.

The disorder is twice as common in women as it is in men, and it can begin at any age, according to the NIH.

What are the symptoms of restless legs syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder that causes the overwhelming, often unpleasant, feeling of needing to move your legs, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

People with RLS, according to the NIH, have described the feeling as:

Aching

Burning

Crawling

Creeping

Electric shocks

Itching

Pulling

Tingling

These symptoms of RLS are worse at night when the body is trying to relax, according to the NIH. Oftentimes, people have a symptoms-free time in the morning that lets them get at least some sleep during that time.

Aside from nighttime, long trips in the car or an airplane, long stretches of sitting in a movie theater or a meeting, and needing to wear a cast, all are situations that seem to trigger RLS symptoms, according to the NIH.

Symptoms can vary from day to day, and they can vary from person to person in severity and frequency, according to the NIH.

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